Caliche May Determine How to Plant Fruit Trees

A caliche rock at the orchard

Q. While preparing my holes to plant my fruit trees I encountered caliche.   I’m able to dig down to about 18” by 24” across. I filled the hole about half way with water and the next morning it was all gone. Everything I read discourages planting over caliche. I was thinking of barrels.

A. You are fine with a depth that will accommodate the root system (18 inches deep) as long as you have good drainage. Go ahead and plant. As long as these are smaller fruit trees (less than 20 foot or so) you will be fine. They could get by with 12 inches (I would rather see it deeper) if they have to as long as you have good drainage. I would not put them in barrels unless you had too.

When to Fertilize Fruit Trees Including Citrus and Grapevines

Q. Is there a recommended schedule for fertilizing fruit trees in the valley?  Also for citrus and grapevines?  The schedules I’ve read for each of these are differ depending upon who wrote the article and are not specific for the valley.

Fertilizer applied around the source of water to the fruit
tree, in this case a bubbler which will wash the fertilizer
into the root zone

A. It does not make that much difference as long as the plant has nutrients available during times of fruit production and fruit bud development but generally speaking we avoid applications which might encourage a flush of succulent growth just before winter sets in. This just means try not to apply fertilizers after about mid-July.

            You can get by with a one-time fertilization in the early spring (January) for most fruit trees if you want to. The next thing you can do is a half application in the spring (January) and the other half after harvesting the fruit.

Here fertilizer stakes are pounded into the soil close
to the source of water going to the tree but not close to the tree
itself

            The third way is very light applications of fertilizer sprayed on the foliage or leaves of the trees, monthly, suspending applications from August - November as the tree sets up for winter dormancy. I usually use one of the granular fertilizers that dissolve totally in water such as Miracle Gro or your favorite organic liquid fertilizer. We fertilize just about all our fruit trees and vines once in January with a soil application and that’s it.

Star Jasmine Stopped Blooming? Cut it Back Hard

Q. My gorgeous, dark green, full and old Jasmine has stopped blooming.  I have tried several remedies and none has worked. Can you give me some pointers to get back the heavenly white fragrant blossoms?

Star jasmine

A. By jasmine I take it to mean star jasmine. This vine can also be used as a ground cover and must be supported on a trellis if used as a vine. It blooms in the spring only and so it may not be the time of year for it yet.

            Just be patient. There is no secret formula. Fertilize with any good fertilizer for flowering shrubs in early spring (January through February or now even).

            Be careful when pruning you do not prune out flowering wood. Do your pruning immediately after flowering is finished, not during the winter unless you know where the flowering wood is located.

            An old horticultural adage is that if a plant is not performing well and you are considering getting rid of it then cut it back hard. Of course this will damage flowering for awhile but you may get the plants “attention” and they will sometimes respond very positively.

Borers in Fruit Trees and Buggy Grapevines

Q. Through the years I have planted many fruit trees and lost many to borers especially stone fruit trees. My grape vines have been devastated by whiteflies to the point where I could not harvest one healthy grape leaf last season. I have tried soap water but to no avail. Also, I have tried Lindane against borers but their work keeps appearing on my plum trees.

A. Whiteflies can be a difficult problem. We have not experienced whiteflies on grapes. The closest insect which might be confused with whiteflies, and is a common problem on grapes, are leaf hoppers.
Please make sure you are not confusing whiteflies with leaf hoppers because the treatment is very, very different. Whiteflies are like dandruff and usually fly in a cloud of small white insects when the leaves are disturbed. They usually leave a sticky substance on the leaf surface from feeding.

Click here to see some Whitefly pictures

Leafhoppers on their backs, maybe 1/8 inch long

Leaf hoppers on the other hand jump and are brown in color but they can accumulate in thousands on grapes and jump in your face, your nostrils and eyes as you pass the grapes and disturb the foliage. Both are nearly the same size but whiteflies are white and fly more delicately while leaf hoppers jump and are brown.
If soap and water sprays are used religiously on the grapes when these insects are small it should give fairly good control. If soap and water is delayed until they are mature adults, then control is probably iffy at best.

Whiteflies are listed on the University of California and pests lists for grapes but not a common pest.

Leafhopper feeding damage on grapes

Click here to learn the Common Pests of Grapes

If they are whiteflies then sprays such as pyrethrins might be a good choice but the label must include grapes if you are to use it within the law. If these are leaf hoppers, then sprays applied in May such as spinosad might be useful when this insect is still juvenile. In both cases when these insects are adults they are much more difficult to control.

Sap oozing from cut limb of plum

Regarding the borers in your plum tree, Plum can be attacked by boring insects but it is not as common as some other fruit trees like peach, nectarine or even apple. Please check and make sure that this is in fact borers causing damage and not just sap oozing from a stressed out tree. When plum is stressed from water, intense sunlight or heat stress they will ooze sap.


There is no insecticide you can use on fruit trees once they are attacked by boring insects and still safely eat the fruit in my opinion. Most insecticides recommended after fruit trees have been infested are usually systemic in nature. This means that the insecticide could also be in the fruit, not just on the surface.

Tumors on Cherry Trees and Bioengineering

Q. I have a problem on some fruit trees on a property I have in Tonopah. These cherry trees have large swellings like tumors on the trunk. I spoke with some nursery people in California and described the problem and they knew what the problem was immediately. 

            She concurred with me to get rid of the tree and the nearby rose bush because the rose bush carried the disease and transferred it to both of the fruit trees.  The cherry I chopped down as it was dead all the way through. She told me the whole and area around it would be bacteria infested for a while and even if I put in the soil the product she gave me to kill algae and bacteria, it might still come back.

A. The only thing I can think of that comes close to your description is a relatively benign disease called crown gall. And this is probably what your cherry tree has. This bacterium does infest the soil. It is not typically transferred from plant to plant so getting rid of the roses is not necessary.  A healthy tree can become infested if contaminated soil comes in contact with a fresh wound of the plant.

            Actually this is a very interesting plant disease and was used in the early pioneering days of genetic engineering. When plant tissue is infected with this bacterium the plant cells multiply uncontrollably producing a large woody or corky “tumor’ or swelling on the trunk or roots. The reason it is called “crown” gall is the typical site which the gall or tumor is seen.

            The crown of a plant is the general location where the trunk meets the soil. However these “tumors” can appear less commonly on roots and stems as well. I will try to post more about this disease and how it is used in genetic engineering on my blog.

            Plants can live for many years with crown gall and appear to be quite healthy. It is possible I guess to transmit it from plant to plant by cutting into the crown gall and then cutting another plant with the same unsanitized tool but otherwise you will not transmit it. The usual method whereby it infests a plant is from contact of infested soil with a fresh wound, usually at the time of planting.

Images of Crown Gall

Open publication - Free publishing - More bioengineering

Orchard April Todo List

This is what you are trying to avoid by thinning apples

Apple before thinning

•     Thin fruit, apples and pears. You should be removing or thinning fruit so that the resulting fruit receives more “food” reserves from the leaves and gets larger. The larger the fruit, the greater the distance between them. Nut trees are normally not thinned. Leave one fruit per cluster in apples and European pears. Peaches and nectarines are four to six inches apart. Asian pears are thinned very early; sometimes in the flowering stages if you know you have had good fruit set in the past; perhaps leaving no more than one fruit a foot apart if you want Japanese-style large fruit.

Apple after thinng

•     Apply calcium chloride sprays to pears and apples susceptible to bitter pit or corky spot, five times in the spring, spaced about one to two weeks apart. Bitter pit or corky spot might appear on Comice pears and Mutsu apples for instance. These are sunken brown spots in the flesh just under the skin. Food grade calcium chloride is applied as a spray to the tree (focused on spraying the fruit) along with a wetting agent to aid in absorption through the skin of the fruit.

Corky spot in Comice pear

•     Thin corn to 12 inches apart. I like to plant seed fairly close together in March and then remove plants so the remaining plants are 12 inches apart in the rows. No, you cannot replant these plants to fill voids. Kernels in the ears fill in better if you have a minimum of three rows of corn since they are wind pollinated. Corn likes lots of nitrogen fertilizer applied frequently.

•     Weeding. Stay on top of your weeds and remove them as soon as you see them.

•     Flower thinning of Asian pears. Mentioned earlier.

•     Harvest asparagus daily. Now that it is getting warmer the spears are growing faster and need to be harvested more often. You should stop harvesting asparagus after about 8 to ten weeks of removing spears. After harvest you must let the spears mature (let the spears become that five foot tall, ferny growth) which is cut down in December or January.

•     Wind protection on the emerging corn. If we get some high winds this time of year and you planted corn in a potentially windy location the wind can flatten your corn rows. A wind barrier such as some fencing like chain link with pvc slats or chicken wire with vines can prevent this from happening.

Pull or cut off onion flowers

•     Mulch. As temperatures rise and with our low humidity surface mulches can help keep seeds planted in the summer from drying out and not emerging. Straw, shredded paper and other surface mulches can preserve soil moisture and aid in more complete germination. Presoak large seed for 12 hours in cool water prior to planting.

•     Fertilize corn every four weeks.

•     Pull onion flowers. Remove any flowers from onion plants and use them in cooking or as garnishes to keep them from robbing energy from developing onion bulbs.

•     Mulch garlic and onions. Mulching garlic and onions before it gets hot will aid in getting larger bulbs and reduce stress.

•     Fertilize onions and garlic and all vegetables in the ground every 3 to 4 weeks. If you used a good fertilizer at the time of planting then all you need is a high nitrogen fertilizer. If you used compost or decomposed manures you may be able to skip these applications.

•     Harvest beets and peas. Peas and other cool season vegetables are coming to the end of their growing season. Replant in mid fall.

Pheremone winged trap in tree. Pheremone lure is orange
inside the trap.

•                  Set pheromone traps for peach twig borer (PTB). PTB causes wormy peaches, nectarines and apricots. You first see their evidence on the occasional death of new growing shoots on these trees. Traps help you to reduce their populations or determine when or if spraying is required. I would suggest purchasing lures and complete wing traps from Alpha Scents: (http://www.alphascents.com/Lures/lures.html; http://www.alphascents.com/Traps/traps.html#wing )

Insects caught on sticky insert on the bottom of
winged trap. Here the lure is hung from the bottom
of the top of the trap. I prefer placing directly on the
sticky bottom instead.

•     Spray for peach twig borer if necessary using BT sprays or spinosad.

•     Spray for Western flower thrips on nectarines using spinosad.

•     Spray insecticidal soap for artichokes and aphids. Spray the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves.

•     Stake tomatoes, peppers to keep fruits from lying on the ground. Expect more fruit losses if plants are allowed to sprawl on the soil surface.

Green almond stage for harvesting immature nut

•     Mulch tomatoes, peppers, eggplant. These plants will benefit from surface mulches.

•     Label vegetables in vegetable plots. Keep track of what varieties you are planting so you know which ones to purchase or not to purchase in the future.

Immature almond nut in the "green" stage

•     Green almond harvest. Almonds can be harvested green when they are very small (1/2 inch long) and the entire small green nut can be eaten raw or in salads or allow the nut to enlarge and harvest the immature nut for salads or cooking such as stir fry.

•     Young garlic harvest. If garlic was planted 2 inches apart in the fall you can now harvest immature garlic (before the bulbs have enlarged) and use them for roasting or grilling resulting in the remaining garlic plants four inches apart and harvested when fully mature in May or early June.

Young garlic stage

•     Fix irrigation leaks.

•     Prune palms.

•     Reapply iron where necessary or spray iron. If you see some trees or grape vines starting to yellow on new growth then reapply iron chelate to the soil now. Spraying fruit trees now with iron may result if iron-stained fruit.

•     Dig up root suckers. Remove suckers as you see them sprouting from tree bases or the soil a foot or two from the tree.

•     Summer prune. Watch for trees that are extremely dense with new growth. If the canopy is getting very dense and shades the interior of the tree then remove unnecessary new growth by pulling down on it and letting it decompose on the ground if you are using wood mulch.

Orange Tree Leaves Losing Green Color (Yellowing) With Green Veins

Q. I have 9 orange trees on my property and pamper them like my “kids”.  One of them (perhaps two) is losing the green color in the leaves although the veins are staying green in color.  I would like to send you a couple of leaves for your inspection as I have tried to trouble shoot the problem using the computer and pictures. A local nursery disagrees with my request for manganese sulfate to resolve the problem. Would you send me an address so that I can send a few leaves for your inspection and suggestions?

A. A picture of the leaves will work just as well as sending me a sample. I will be out of the country and so samples will probably not reach me.

            Nine times out of 10 a yellowing leaf with green veins, particularly if it is the newer growth at the ends of the branches, is iron chlorosis and not typically manganese or zinc. The manganese sulfate would be used for a manganese deficiency or you could use a manganese chelate.

            You can sometimes take an iron solution with a few drops of Ivory liquid detergent and, making sure the iron solution is slightly acidic with a little bit of vinegar, dip the leaves in the solution for a few minutes. You should see a color change in the leaves in about 24 hours or less.

            Otherwise you can take some liquid iron chelate with a little bit of detergent like Ivory liquid and spray the leaves three or four times over a period of a couple of days. This will also turn them a darker green if it is iron.

            If it is something other than iron, it won't do anything. Then go ahead and try your manganese application.

            If this color change occurred during the winter it is possible it could be cold damage. This appears more like a bronzing of the leaves rather than yellowing. I hope this helps.

Planting Ocotillos So They Don't Die

Q. Ocotillos, the most beautiful plant in Nevada. I have tried twice to grow this and not even one sign of life in 5 years. Now I'm trying at a different home.  I wonder where am I failing?

            The soil is mostly poor in Henderson and sandy. I have lots of sun but I avoid western afternoon sun. I also have an area with partial shade. Is this a failure to properly fertilize?  Watering?  A local nursery indicates I'm doing it correctly but it is a tricky plant. (Now they tell me).       

A. These ARE tricky plants and not easy to transplant if you are not familiar in dealing with desert plants and cacti. It is also possible to pick up dead plants from the nursery. When they have no growth on them it is very difficult to tell if they are living or not.

            One method you can use is the thumbnail method. You can use your thumbnail and scrape a small layer of bark from the stem. It should be green under it and scrape away fairly easily. If it does not, or it is brown under it, then it very well could be dead.

            If you want to know if the plant is at all alive, check in several places including near the base closest to where the soil would be and look for green as well. When planting it, make sure it is securely staked into the soil so the roots do not move.

            Water around the base of the plant no more frequently than about once every two weeks during the summer. These plants are easily propagated or started as cuttings, stem pieces cut and planted directly into the soil. The trick is not to water so often the stem rots and dies.

            I attached a pamphlet on how to establish ocotillo from the Tucson Cactus Society. I am not a big proponent of wetting the canes but the Tucson cactus society is.

www.tucsoncactus.org/pdf_files/TCSS_Ocotillo_Planting.pdf

Planting Ocotillo -

Espalier or Trellising Fruit Trees or Grapes Can Reduce House Cooling Costs

Q. I just saw this video on the internet on espaliering fruit trees. It is located at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP7voRKFUoE
Is that something that would work well in Las Vegas or just cause more stress to the tree? I have a small area on the south side of my house where the A/C unit is and would love to get a green wall of sorts on there to keep our bedrooms from roasting in the summer. I had thought about grapes, but the espaliered fruit trees might be an option.

A. Great video! Yes, John. It will work here. Just keep your water emitters to the outside of the fruit trees and not near the foundation. We have high salts and don’t want to undermine the foundation or walls used for trellising. This will help direct roots away from the structures.

            Make sure you whitewash the limbs as they can sunburn in hot, very exposed locations.

            I can see you are thinking now in terms of microclimates and growing spaces in the yard. Plants are flexible. Make sure they have enough sunlight to be productive, match the plant to the microclimate and manage the plant to make it fit and make sure you commit the time to doing it. It is that simple.

Rosemary Bush Very Susceptible to Dieback if Overwatered

Rosemary dieback from reader

Q. Can you diagnose what is wrong with my rosemary bush?  We have two rosemary bushes which are less than three-feet apart.  One is beautiful; the other has die-back in the center.  The one that has the die-back was replaced last year because the previous one had the same problem.      Both of these plants receive the same water and the same fertilizer.  When I replaced the rosemary plant last year, I did a 50/50 mix of compost and native soil.  I don’t see any pests on either of the plants.  Any suggestions?

A. I looked at the pictures. There are no specific pests that would cause this type of damage on rosemary. The most likely culprits would be physical damage to the stems (broken stems) or root rot or collar rot from either planting it too deeply or keeping the soil around the one with dieback too wet.

Healthy rosemary of reader

            If the soil was heavily amended with mulch or compost and it was planted in this then it is possible it could have been planted too deeply while the other one was not. Sometimes plants will sink in the planting hole if the soil is too "fluffy" at the time of planting.

            This sinking and soil consequently coming in contact with the stem due to follow-up waterings, can cause the main stem or side stems to decay and then entire stems can dieback.

            I would carefully lift the plant out with a shovel and examine the main stem or trunk and side stems and see if they were planted too deeply. Rosemary is very susceptible to collar rot or keeping the soil too wet. If the stems are rotten, dispose and replant in a new location.

Fig Cuttings and Transplants Benefit from Slow Immersion Into Harsh Outside Environment

Q. I have several fig cuttings that are growing in a vermiculite and perlite mix inside the house.  Attached is photo. When is the best time to move them outside and transplant them into the ground? Or do I have to go through an interim stage of a small pot with potting soil first?

A. I would move them outside into an area protected from late afternoon sun and wind as soon as you see signs of new growth but leave them in the containers. This is called “acclimating” the transplants.

            All transplants grown inside the house or in a greenhouse should be acclimated to the outside environment before planting. This will improve the success of your transplanting and lessen transplant shock.

            You could put them in a cardboard box for instance but they need to be exposed to the outside environment gradually before they are planted in full sun and full wind. Plant them in the ground with amended soil after 2 to 3 weeks of acclimating. At that time they can handle full sun and some wind.

            Stake them if they need to be staked because a large canopy that can catch the wind and disturb them or potentially uproot them. Lightly fertilize them. Begin to deep water them with 1 to 2 gallons of water at each watering. A good sign of success is vigorous top growth.

Butterflies Pollinating Plum Trees?

Butterflies pollinating readers plum tree

Q. Attached you will find a picture of small butterflies on our plum tree. There are hundreds of them. Are they pollinating our trees? The bees were here, but these have taken over.

A. I have seen this before a few years back in our orchard as well and they can do a lot of pollinating when it happens. It normally does not last very long. There is usually a burst of butterflies for a couple of weeks and then it is over.

            The development of the adult butterfly must correspond to the opening of flowers that require insect pollination. In some years, like now, butterfly development is perfectly coordinated with certain varieties of fruit trees.

            Pollinating insects can include bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies and other insects. By far the most consistent pollinators are our bees and specifically the domesticated honeybee.

Fruit Tree Not Producing? Get Rid of It!

Q. I live in the Mesquite area and have two non-producing nectarines. One is a 7 year old LeGrand and the other a 4 year old Gold Mine nectarine. Both get plenty of flowers but no fruit. They are intermingled with plums, peaches, and apricots; all producers. Any idea what could be wrong?

A. First of all, thank you for keeping track of the variety of fruit trees you have. I cannot tell you how many times I have talked with people and they have no idea what variety of fruit tree they planted. Selecting the right variety makes a world of difference in the quality of the fruit you produce.

            I will tell you right now I have tried both of those varieties of nectarine and do not give them very high marks for flavor in our climate. I would get rid of them now and put in something better. I know Le Grand is an old time favorite in other parts of the country but there are better varieties out there.

            I also had one nectarine tree, unlike yours, that just would not flower for us. Lots of healthy growth, but no flowers. It wasn’t the variety because we had five of this tree and the other four did produce. I gave it a five year chance and then replaced it. It should have gotten just three years but I felt generous. Generally speaking, if your fruit tree does not produce after three years of flowering, or you get three years in a row of bad tasting fruit, REPLACE IT.

            If you want to stick with nectarines (this may turn into a regular spray program for thrips control down the road) then I would look very closely at Arctic Star, a white-fleshed nectarine or, for yellow-fleshed types, Desert Dawn, Desert Delight or Double Delight. We have given all of these very high marks in fruit quality and they are excellent producers.

Don't Throw Out Your Thinned Peach and Nectarine Fruit

Baby peach fruit for pickling

Green almond ready for pickling or eating fresh

If you have peaches and nectarines, now is the time to start removing fruit so that the remaining fruit gets larger. Remove fruit that are gumdrop sized so that the fruit remaining on the limb is at least four inches apart. If the tree is not terribly healthy then remove more fruit than this.


If you thin your peaches or nectarines you will end up with "baby peaches" Pick early so they are no larger than a large olive, try pickling them and packing them in oil for home use just as you would olives. They do this in the Mediterranean and Middle East where some people do not let any fruit go to waste.

Baby donut peaches

You can also do this with green almonds. Harvest the almonds when they are no longer than about one inch. The seed inside should still be translucent with a white coat. If you want a recipe to try with babby


If you want a recipe to start with, I found this one on the internet in the Ligurian style.
http://www.aglaiakremezi.com/recipies/mezze-appetizers-and-salads/pickled-tsagala-green-almonds.html

Las Vegas Banana Update

Harrison's bananas forming

Harrison's banana male flower (actually
located under the purple bract)

Ann's Cavendish banana in Las Vegas

Ann's Banana another view

Make Your Peaches Larger by Thinning Enough

Readers nectarine tree

Q. My 23 year old nectarine is always loaded with fruit. I sent you a picture. I usually "thin" out the fruit when they're quite small but I can't seem to thin out enough so they get bigger. Should I remove the flowers now before the fruit forms or wait until the fruit is formed and then attempt to thin out? I know the tree in the picture is ugly but the fruit it bears is delicious.

A. I am not concerned with the looks of the tree but I am concerned that it has enough canopy to shade the branches which helps prevent sunburn on the limbs and fruit. Sunburn damage on limbs in turn attracts boring insects and increases the decline of the tree.

            Since the leaves are responsible for collecting solar energy and converting this solar energy into chemical energy in the form of sugars, the number of leaves compared to the number of fruit is a pretty critical relationship if you want larger fruit. You want anywhere around 50 to 70 healthy leaves for every good-sized fruit.

Peach before thinning

            I know you won't go around counting the leaves to determine the number of fruit to remove but it gives you an idea that if you don't have a good canopy of leaves, then you will have to remove a lot of fruit.

            This is why it is important for your tree to have good canopy development from proper pruning. This allows sunlight to penetrate on to leaves inside the canopy. Leaves growing in shade produce fewer sugars and may actually rob sugars from developing fruit.

Peach after thinning

            This is why we tell people to leave fruit spaced an average of about 4 to 6 inches apart on the fruit-bearing limbs. Start removing fruit when they are the size of your thumbnail.

            I would not remove flowers as an alternative to thinning the fruit. You don't know which flowers are going to set fruit and which ones will not. You might leave flowers that don't set any fruit.

            Harvest your fruit when they are still firm but have developed their full-color. It is acceptable that there is just a little bit of green left on the fruit at the time of harvest. Depends on the variety.

            This helps avoid a lot of bird damage to the fruit. The birds like to get them when the sugar content is starting to climb. Following Murphy’s Law, this is nearly always the day before you decide to pick them. Pick soft fruit at the first sign of bird damage and let undamaged fruit ripen on the kitchen counter for a couple of days. After they ripen, put them in the refrigerator to help preserve their freshness.

Baby Fruit Trees: Pull Off or Leave the Fruit On?

Q. Help! I planted my bareroot Pink Lady last February 4th and now it's flowering! I'm happy to see the blossoms; they're pretty and smell good. This is the first time I planted an apple tree, now I don't know what to do next. Should I just let it blossom and fruit?

Pink Lady apple from the North Las Vegas Orchard

A. Just be calm and take a deep breath. It is okay for your tree to flower. If you go back to some of the old textbooks on fruit trees it may tell you that some trees take six to eight years to bear fruit. Well there is some truth to that but with newer varieties bred for precociousness (early production) and budded on to dwarfing rootstocks it is not unusual to have fruit trees begin to bear fruit after only a year or two in the ground. The question then becomes is it wise to leave the fruit on the tree or remove it?

            Some very good gardeners are of the opinion that all fruit should be removed so that the energy of the tree goes into tree growth rather than split between tree growth and fruit production. Others say to let the tree go ahead and produce some fruit but remove most of it for the same reason.

            I am of the latter. If you have some fruit being produced then enjoy a few the first year, a few more the second until you maximize its production for its size. As it increases in size it can be allowed to carry more fruit.

            Remember to whitewash the tree to help prevent sunburn. Cover all the branches and the trunk with diluted white latex paint. This is a mixture, 1/1, with water and make sure you cover the west and south sides of the trunk and tops of the branches.

            Let it flower. Thin the fruit to one apple per cluster as soon as the fruit forms. Keep mulch at least 6 inches away from the trunk the first few years. Remove the stake this fall. That’s about it. I hope you get a couple of fruit this year.

Terry Mikel Joins Xtremehorticulture Blog

Hello, my name is Terry Mikel and I had a position similar to Robert Morris' for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Maricopa County (Phoenix is the main city).  Over the years Robert and I have developed a relationship both professionally and personally.  He kindly asked me if I might help a bit while he's off on another one of his fascinating adventures, this time in Afghanistan.

In our conversations I would like to help with some with queries from the lower desert regions and maybe banter a bit with him on some of the issues that might arise.  We don't necessarily agree on everything or how to do everything.  That might add some spice and will keep both of us honest.

Additionally he thought some explanation about my 'facename' would be in order.  It's pretty simple, like almost every gardener, plant person or human I have certain unexplainable favorite plants and for me the Genus Puya is one.  It goes back years to when Dr. Bill Feldman, Director of the Boyce Thompson Arboretum (we were graduate students together) called me to come out and see him.  He did not say why and when I got there we took a walk through the cactus area and off the trail to behind a rock formation.  Coming around the rock there it was, a Puya berteroniana in full bloom.  It was the first time it had bloomed and until then they weren't sure which Puya it was.  It was spectacular and my passing knowledge of the Genus changed to a real passion for it.  They are in a terrestrial growing sub-family of the Bromeliad Family growing in the Andes Mountains from the foothill up to about 9,000'.  A cousin grows in the Chihuahaun Desert called Hectia.  One reason I like them is the one reason for most of my favorite plants, they don't look like much and the bloom comes as a surprise with little regard for weather,  conditions or our inputs in general.  That's what cool about Puyas for me.

Check them out and see the strange and wondrous diversity of the Genus Puya and you folks in the higher desert will have a much easier time growing them if the want strikes you.

Any way I am honored Robert asked me to join you all and I look forward to interacting back and forth.

Pistachio Pollination and Pruning to Keep it Smaller

I will add some photos next week.

Q. My husband asked me to contact you about how to trim our pistachio nut tree and how to get it pollenated.

A. You can still do some light pruning on fruit and nut trees. On pruning your pistachio I would cut back the new growth to about 18 inches above where you see the spurs growing. If this is too severe, then I would just cut back last year’s growth so that it is only about 12 to 18 inches long.      

Pistachios come as both male and female trees (Peters is the male; Kerman is the female). You will need a male tree somewhere close by since they are wind pollinated. The male and female may be planted in the same hole, about 18 to 24 inches apart, but the male tree is more vigorous and will have to be cut back harder than the female to keep it under control.

            If planting in the same hole and you should put a male tree on the north side so that the female, the less vigorous of the two, receives more sunlight. Otherwise you will have to rely on a male tree from a close neighbor or plant your own.

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pistachio.html

Almond Nut Drop and When to Spray an Insecticide

Leaffooted plant bug on pomegranate with babies (nymphs)

Q. Several months ago you answered my question as to what was affecting the loss of all my almonds in my almond trees. You said I should apply the insecticide Sevin for pest control. But when do I apply the Sevin? My almonds are doing well now but they always do well now and then later I see something ozzing out of the nuts and a yellowish design on the inside. Then the nuts drop from the tree. So when do I spray with this insecticide?

A. If I told you to apply Sevin insecticide I must have thought you had leaf footed plant bug in your almonds. My personal philosophy is to use pesticides as a last resort for insect control whenever possible. This would be the only reason I would recommend the use of a pesticide in almonds.

            You would apply it when you see the insect present on the leaves. This insect has overwintered in yours or your neighbors landscape plants. I have seen them overwinter in our climate in these locations. When leaves emerge, this insect will begin feeding and laying eggs.    The first thing you will see are herds of the immature called nymphs on the undersides of leaves. You might see some adults as well but the babies are much more numerous. You should start to see them around late April or early May so start looking then. When you see them, begin spraying immediately according to the label mixing rate. Wear protective clothing.